Hiding, rejection, and discrimination are often part of why an LGBTQ+ person started drinking or using, so care works best when a program treats both at once. A good fit means clinicians who ask about your identity without flinching and plan care around it. Enhance Health Group in Tustin is accredited and in-network with many major plans.
If you're thinking about harming yourself or you're in immediate danger, call or text 988 right now.
How identity and substance use recovery fit together in treatment
In treatment, the two usually get worked on side by side, with the same therapist or team looking at what you use, when you use it, and what's going on in your life at those moments. For a lot of LGBTQ+ adults, those moments are tied to coming out, a family that pulled away, a workplace where you stay guarded, or a body and identity that never got taken seriously by earlier providers.
At Enhance, this falls under dual diagnosis care, which means substance use and mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, or trauma are treated together instead of one after the other. That matters because stopping drinking or drug use without addressing the shame or fear underneath often leaves you white-knuckling it. Our clinicians include master's- and doctorate-level therapists, and the work happens through individual therapy and group sessions, with skills from approaches like CBT and DBT for anxious thoughts and strong emotions. The Tustin center at 14742 Newport Ave runs PHP and IOP, so much of this work happens while you're still living at home.
You can expect an assessment first. A clinician will ask about your substance use, your mental health history, your safety, and your living situation. You can also tell them how you describe yourself, which pronouns you use, who's in your support network, and which parts of your story you want handled carefully. Share as much or as little as you're comfortable with on day one. Nobody needs your whole history in the first conversation.
It's also fair to say that a past treatment experience went badly. Many people we talk with have sat in a group where they felt they had to hide who they were, or had a provider who treated their identity as the problem. Saying so up front helps the team plan around it. Information you share stays private, and sessions are confidential.
Signs that identity stress and substance use are feeding each other
Pay attention to the pattern, not just the amount. If you drink or use mostly before family dinners, on dating apps, at work events, or after a day of being careful about what you say, the substance is probably doing a job for you. It's taking the edge off a situation that feels unsafe or exhausting.
A few other signs tend to show up together:
- You use more in the days after a rejection, a hostile comment, or a conversation where you hid something.
- You feel relief only in spaces where drinking or using is the main activity, such as certain bars, parties, or group chats.
- You've tried to cut back, felt shame or panic about your identity, and gone right back to using.
- Anxiety, low mood, or numbness gets worse when you're sober, and you're not sure whether it's from stopping or from what you've been carrying.
None of this means you're doing something wrong. It means the substance and the stress are tied together, and stopping one without the other is likely to stall. A clinician can sort out which came first and which is keeping the other going, which is hard to do alone. The Tustin admissions team can set up that assessment when you call, and Enhance's dual diagnosis care treats the substance use and the mental health symptoms together.
If you recognize two or more of these, it's reasonable to ask for an assessment. Families can notice the same things from the outside, like a loved one who withdraws or drinks more after visits home. Saying "I've noticed it gets worse after those days" lands better than asking them to stop.
What to ask a treatment program before you commit
Start with the question that tells you the most: "How do you treat LGBTQ+ clients in practice?" A program that has a real answer will describe how clinicians handle names and pronouns, how they respond if another client says something hostile in group, and what training the team has. A vague answer like "we welcome everyone" is a reason to keep asking.
A few more questions are worth having ready:
- Do you treat substance use and mental health together, and who coordinates that?
- Who will be my therapist, and can I request someone different if the fit is wrong?
- What happens in group if someone is disrespectful about identity?
- Can my partner, chosen family, or friends join sessions, not just biological relatives?
- Are you accredited, and by whom?
- Which of my insurance plan's benefits apply, and what will I owe?
On accreditation, Enhance is accredited by The Joint Commission and holds California Department of Health Care Services certification 300410AP, so you can check both yourself rather than taking our word for it.
Ask about family involvement too. Some people want their parents in the room and some don't, and a good team lets you decide who takes part and when. If your biological family has been part of the harm, you shouldn't be pushed toward them as a condition of care.
Finally, ask what a typical week looks like and what comes after. A program should be able to explain how it steps you down to lighter care and what support continues once you leave. If an answer depends on your assessment, they should say so and tell you when you'll hear more, not skip the question.
Levels of care and where each one happens
Most people don't need the highest level of care, and the assessment is what sorts out where you should start. At our Tustin center, we run a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP), both of which let you keep sleeping in your own bed while you do daily or near-daily treatment. PHP is the more structured of the two. IOP fits when you're steadier but still need regular support, or when you're stepping down from something more intensive.
Outpatient care is available by video through virtualtreatmentcenter.com. That can matter if you live far from Tustin, work irregular shifts, or don't feel safe being seen walking into treatment from a household that doesn't know yet.
Some situations need a different setting. Detox and addiction residential care take place at Embrace Treatment Center (embracetreatment.com), and mental health inpatient and residential care take place at Eden by Enhance (edenbyenhance.com). Both are sister facilities of Enhance, run by the same people, and you'd start by talking with our admissions team rather than calling either one on your own. Neither happens at the Tustin office.
Your assessment looks at a few concrete things when placing you:
If you need medical support to stop using safely, that points toward a different setting than PHP or IOP.
Safety at home and having somewhere stable to stay also shape the recommendation.
The team also weighs how much your mental health symptoms are getting in the way of daily life.
Placement isn't permanent. Many people move between levels as they get steadier, and you can tell the team if a setting isn't working for you.
What happens when you call admissions and how insurance is checked
When you call (714) 862-1907, someone from the Tustin admissions team picks up and asks a few plain questions: what's going on, what you're using, and what kind of help you're looking for. You don't need a diagnosis or a plan. Having your insurance card nearby helps, but you can start the conversation without it.
You can say up front that you want a team that's comfortable with LGBTQ+ clients, and ask how they handle names, pronouns, and family involvement. The questions from the previous section work on the phone too. If you're not ready to share details, say so, and the admissions team will work with what you're willing to tell them.
Checking insurance follows a set order. Admissions contacts your insurance company directly, then explains your deductible, your copay, and which level of care your plan may cover. Benefits vary by plan, so what applies to you depends on your policy. Enhance is in-network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Optum, United Healthcare, Blue Shield of California, MHN, Health Net, Ambetter, Multiplan, CalPERS, and Covered California. If your plan isn't on that list, ask anyway, since the team can tell you what they find. Pathways, Vivity, and Magellan are not in network.
After that, you decide. Some people continue straight into an assessment, and others hang up to talk it over with a partner, a friend, or a parent. Either is fine. If you'd rather start online, you can submit the insurance form instead of calling, and admissions will follow up with you.
If you do move forward, the assessment we described earlier is the next step, and it's where your level of care gets decided.
Call (714) 862-1907, or use the Verify insurance button below, and ask the Tustin team to check your benefits.
Common Questions
Will my family find out I'm in treatment?
No, not unless you decide to tell them. Information you share with your treatment team stays private, and sessions are confidential. If you're an adult, the team generally needs your permission before sharing details with a parent, partner, or anyone else. You can ask admissions how releases of information work, and you can choose who, if anyone, is included.
Do I have to be sober before I can start treatment?
No. You don't need to stop using before you call or come in for an assessment. Many people reach out while they're still drinking or using, and some need medical support to stop safely. The assessment looks at what you're using and how much, then the team recommends where to start. Quitting on your own can be risky with some substances.
Can I keep working or going to school during treatment?
Often, yes. PHP and IOP let you live at home, and outpatient care by video fits around work or classes more easily. How much room you have depends on the level of care your assessment points to. Tell admissions about your job or school schedule when you call, and they can explain which options might fit around it.
What if I don't feel comfortable with my assigned therapist?
You can say so and ask for a different therapist. Fit matters in therapy, and it matters more when you're talking about identity, family, and shame. Raise it with the team as soon as it feels off instead of waiting it out. A good program treats that request as a normal part of finding the right match, not a complaint.
Is it too late to get help if I've relapsed before?
No. A past relapse or a previous program that didn't work doesn't rule you out. Many people need more than one attempt, and a new assessment can show what was missing, such as untreated anxiety, trauma, or a setting where you couldn't be yourself. Tell the team what happened before so they can plan around it.
